Two small birds on the canvasaerodynamiceven in reposecolored feathersresplendentend of a long inheritancereaching backto saurian lifebefore flightbefore flowersbefore we could havebeen imaginedcoming so lateand so full of new ideas

you were our first musicyour songs risingin counterpoint abovethe drumbeat of our bloodgiving us dreamsfull of wingslifting in the brightair of morningor swift and soundlessas the great owlin moonlightour heartsforever yearningfor the grace of flight

Mary McCarthy

This poem was written in response to the surprise ekphrastic poetry challenge on birds.​Mary McCarthy has always been a writer even though she spent most of her working years as a Registered Nurse. Recently moved to Florida, she has been enjoying the abundant local wildlife, including a great variety of birds, everything from snowy egrets and pelicans to osprey and vultures. She has had work published in many online and print journals, and has an e chapbook “Things I Was Told Not to Think About” available as a free download from Praxis Magazine.

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